In industry, conveyor systems are used for transporting products between various industrial process stations. In particular, food industry conveyor systems use belting for transporting food product during food processing.
In the food processing industry, raw food product is transported on conveyor systems using modular belting. The modular belting is formed from universally shaped injection-molded plastic modules which have generally smooth and impervious surfaces. The belting modules are flexibly connected together to form desired lengths and widths of conveyor belting.
The cost of modular belting is very expensive, and increases with belt size. Modular belting is used in the food processing industry because it meets U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other regulatory sanitary and cleanliness requirements. Food processes are inspected on a daily basis by USDA representatives to insure the processes are meeting federal regulations.
After a period of use, the modular belting surface is no longer smooth and impervious. Modular belting becomes damaged from knife scribes and return carriers in the form of cuts and scraps in the belt surfaces. The damaged modular belt surfaces no longer meet USDA inspection requirements and federal regulations since the damaged surfaces may be susceptible to the build-up of bacteria and other organisms. In the past, the only alternative was to discard the damaged belting and replace it at a very expensive cost.